Uncertainties
by Crescent Blue
Summary: What is normal? Captain Augustus Black certainly doesn't know anymore.


A/N: This story is exploring a theory of mine. I noticed that Captain Black enlisted poor Jackie for several missions that should've been handled by Section 13 itself. That got me thinking. Black is relatively new to the magic game, he may have certain...fears about things.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Jackie Chan Adventures! This is for pure entertainment!

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Captain Augustus Black believed that all was straightforward in his field. There were the lawful and the lawless. It was the duty of the lawful to rein in the lawless to keep the public as safe as possible. Sometimes he felt that perspective was too utopian as there were many variables to why people turned to crime. There were many times when the very government and police force behaved lawlessly. Those in power who treated the public as prey.

Those matters were disgusting, but Augustus was proud to say that Section 13 never targeted the public as their prey. If possible, he'd attempt to bring down the crooks in power as well.

For now, the prey that Section 13 hunted were the lions and tigers of the crime world. Prey like The Dark Hand and the Yokinowa Crime Family to name a couple.

For the most part, it was a clear cut business. Monitor their activities, discover any leads to confront the crooks and make arrests. It was dangerous work, but guileless all the same.

That was until The Dark Hand began collecting artifacts like stamps. The sudden change in behavior was nothing short of bizarre. Section 13's intelligence department was highly impressive, but their archaeology needed some severe brushing up. Luckily, he was friends with a very capable archaeologist. Unfortunately for that friend of his, The Dark Hand had found Jackie Chan first.

Normal protocol was to protect the civilian from danger, not thrust them into it due to their expertise in the subject matter. But when you're up against the wall, it leaves you somewhat desperate.

Thankfully, Jackie accepted the task, albeit very grudgingly. But where did the rambunctious kid come from?

As Jackie's inadvertent mission progressed, he kept making references to invisibility, levitation, super speed, and eye-beams. Black feared that Jackie may have sustained a head injury or two during his battles.

An attack at Fort Knox courtesy of Valmont himself left Section 13's captain unconscious and in the hospital for weeks. The explosives that were used were certainly powerful. Jackie mentioned the magic word again and how it harmed him. Jackie should really get his head checked out physically or at least see a psychiatrist. Undertaking dangerous tasks like these were clearly disturbing his friend's mind.

It wasn't until a strange day where Jackie infiltrated Section 13 and brought the so-called magic Talismans to The Dark Hand headquarters where his conviction of life was forever shattered. His brief joy of finally capturing Valmont and his crew was short-lived.

A gigantic beast of some type had flown out of the ruined office. It couldn't have been a Tyrannosaurus Rex. They didn't fly and had tinier arms than the creature had.

Tohru joining Jackie was no issue compared to what he'd just recently witnessed.

Later that same day in China, he and his men brought out their big guns against the creature known as Shendu. The cranky, elder Chan had steadfastly informed them that "Magic must defeat magic!" Black, however, hadn't wanted to believe that sound wisdom and as a result, missed the rest of the battle.

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The existence of magic left him with a troubling thought: What was safe? Seemingly innocent things could have some magical properties. For all he knew, every gem, statue, and trinket in existence could be magically imbued. Could his secretary's engagement ring be an ancient Atlantean trinket that grants eternal youth? Maybe his Aunt's favorite emerald necklace hailed from Greece and had been one of Aphrodite's many love charms. (It could be. His Aunt Arlene had been boyfriend swapping for years.) Perhaps the statue in Section 12's lobby was secretly a demon.

After all, Shendu had been a statue. Maybe Valmont was clueless about magic before he acquired the demon.

His men were no longer concerned about human-related troubles. A good number of them were wary of everyday objects.  
Captain Black had a heck of a time trying to convey this to his superiors. It didn't go over too well. When he had tried to demonstrate on one occasion, the Talismans had somehow lost their powers. (He later learned the reason for that was courtesy of Jade. It was an embarrassment for him to say the least. The fact that a child could break into their headquarters readily was the epitome of shame.)

In order to combat anything beyond his knowledge, he called in the experts. His selected experts were Jackie Chan and his cranky uncle.

He felt partially guilty. All Jackie wanted to do was lead a life of normalcy. Unfortunately, Section 13 wasn't properly equipped to combat supernatural beings and their weapons. There was no feasible way that they could without trying to convince their government superiors of reality. They were on thin ice as it was. The least they could do was keep them locked up in the vault (and marvel at how Jade Chan raided it at will).

For the time being, they had to keep a lie going: the Talismans were high-tech weapons best kept out of reach of the wrong hands. He idly thought that the government would try and replicate the Talismans if they ever discovered their abilities. Well, at least they'd learn the truth then.

Captain Augustus Black really hated the "M" word.

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A/N: Well, there you have it. I hope that it was enjoyable.

Thanks for reading!


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